The Saskatoon Nature Society has been a long
time steward of the grasslands. They organize
and deliver field trips in and around Saskatoon,
including SNG. Please access their web site at www.
saskatoonnaturesociety.ca for an up to date listing of
field trips.
Teachers in Mother Teresa and Silverspring schools
bordering the grasslands use the lesson plans
from Meewasin’s Saskatoon Natural Grasslands
Ecological Education Guide as resource materials
for SNG outdoor education learning experiences.
These guides are available in the respective school
learning resource centres. The Saskatoon Public
School Division, University of Saskatchewan Centre
for Continuing and Distance Education and Ducks
Unlimited Canada cooperate to deliver a system
wide field trip on the Saskatoon Natural Grasslands
for grade two classes in spring and fall.
Saskatoon
Natural
Grasslands
Regional
Psychiatric
Centre
Separate
School
Silverspring
Park
Public
School
Central
Avenue
Forestry
Farm Park
and Zoo
Konihowski Road
Attridge Drive
Forestry
Farm
Link
Forestry
Farm
Entry
For more information on the Saskatoon
Natural Grasslands please contact:
Meewasin Valley Authority
402 Third Avenue South
Saskatoon, SK S7K 3G5
Phone: (306) 665-6887
Fax: (306) 665-6117
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.meewasin.com
Meewasin
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What is it?
History
The Saskatoon Natural Grasslands
(SNG) is a 34 acre (13.8 hectare) parcel
of native Saskatchewan grassland
persisting in a surprisingly natural
condition. It lies within the area known as
Silverspring (located in the northeast
sector of Saskatoon, 8kms from the city
centre along the South Saskatchewan
River). This fescue grassland is not just
grass, but an ecosystem – a complex
association of grasses, flowering and
non-flowering plants, birds, animals and
insects representing 10,000 years of
natural history since the glaciers receded.
There are at least 117 species of
birds that nest in or frequent this area, 25
kinds of butterflies and 222 plant species.
Unfortunately, few places of true virgin
prairie remain in Saskatchewan – almost
the entire fescue prairie has been
destroyed, both in the province and across
Canada. Saskatchewan loses 200,000
n a t u r a l a c r e s p e r y e a r, i n c l u d i n g
grasslands, wetlands and forest acres.
According to Ducks Unlimited, the
parkland alone loses 13 upland acres per
hour.
About 10,000 to 12,000 years ago
glaciers covered the grasslands. As the
glaciers melted and receded they left
glacial debris, ranging in size from large
boulders to fine particles. The University
of Saskatchewan owned the site and used
it for grazing sheep and cattle, botany and
the excavation of limestone used for the
construction of the greystone buildings on
the university campus. In 1982, the City
of Saskatoon designed an urban
development plan to be built over the
natural heritage site.
Spearheaded initially by local
ecologists Jim Romo and Ed Driver in the
late 1980’s, various environmental groups
lobbied to save the SNG. In 1989, a group
of concerned citizens, Meewasin and
environmental groups led by Gordon
Silversides joined forces to preserve a
section of the endangered fescue
grassland. Working with the City of
Saskatoon, the U of S and the Province of
Saskatchewan (SERM), they were
successful in conserving 34 acres. On
February 26, 1993 the City of Saskatoon
sold the SNG to MVA for $1 to “conserve
the natural grasslands area in a natural
state and use the natural grasslands area
for the purposes of the general public”.
Why is
the SNG
Important
to Conserve?
Red-tailed
Hawk
•Prairie vegetation is vital
to the survival of countless
wildlife species, many of which
have already dropped in number
due to loss of habitat.
•The SNG lies in a transitional zone
between two ecosystems – prairie and
parkland – and thus represents a unique
range of biodiversity.
•The great variety of natural and cultural
resources provide many opportunities
for education and interpretation,
especially for the youth attending Mother
Teresa and Silverspring Schools.
•The SNG benefits the community by
providing habitat, aesthetic and
recreational opportunities, soil
protection and gene pool availability for
future medical and agricultural use.
Gaillardia
aristata
The SNG is a grassland preserve for
recreational use and for the enjoyment
of individuals wishing to access the
Forestry Farm and Petturson’s Ravine
along the Meewasin Trail. The SNG will
also provide an educational link between
the community and the schools that
neighbour the grasslands.
What is
Being Done?
Careful planning and management
help us to live in and make use of the
prairies in a positive way without
degrading its habitat value for other
species. Meewasin has a project
coordination committee consisting of
members from the Silverspring
community, Silverspring School, Mother
Teresa School and the Saskatchewan
environmental community.
In 1993, with the support of the City
of Saskatoon, Meewasin developed a
management plan for the SNG to
preserve the ecological integrity of the
prairie as a remnant of a larger prairie
ecosystem and gene pool for the future.
The conservation area provides a living
classroom for environmental education
and interpretation.
“Within one lifetime, the prairies have
passed from wilderness to become the
most altered habitat in this country and
one of the most disturbed, ecologically
simplified and over exploited regions in the
world. The essence of what we risk losing
when the grasslands are destroyed is not
a species here or a species there, but a
quality of life, the largeness and wilderness
that made the country remarkable.”
- Adrian Forsyth
How Can
You Help?
Prairie Crocus
For 100 days each year from
Mother Teresa School, the Nature
Society will deliver free public programs
on weekends and summers. The
Saskatoon Public School system
contracts with the U of S Extension
Division to provide the SNG
interpretation for grade two students in
its system.
Silverspring School and Mother
Theresa School will host special locally
developed environmental education
programs for their school and community.
“What may begin as a concern for endangered species, leads inevitably to understanding the
importance of saving spaces or habitats, which leads to maintaining the health of ecological
processes underlying the spaces and habitats, which leads to peering into the lifestyles,
economic systems and souls of people alive on Earth today.” (World Wildlife Federation)
•Please follow the trails
•Do not bicycle off the trails
(mountain bikes especially do damage)
•Please help clean-up
(you may leave the trails to do so)
•Dogs should always be on a leash
(bylaw no. 7860)
•Dog owners: please clean-up
after your dogs
The disappearance of native prairie
means the disappearance of thousands
of years of natural history. This resource
can never be replaced.
The only way that
Red Fox
the area can be
conserved
is with the
support and
ownership of
the community.
Please take care
of your grasslands
and educate others as to their value.